I met Ace entirely by chance in the desert crossing between camps. I had one shot left on the roll and knew I wouldn’t be able to reload out in the open (sun + sand). So this is it, the one shot I got of this guy dressed as a War Boy from Mad Max Fury Road. The rest of the series went live with the @guardian last week .
In October I camped in a tent in the Mojave desert for 5 days; shot portraits in sandstorms, wrapped my film in survival blankets to keep the heat off and changed rolls in portaloos to escape the dust. Gravel roads paved by hand carve through the desert, sheets of rusted metal welded together days previous make up the City Gates, crowds drift through the dust dressed in haphazard combinations of leather, weathered sportswear and pseudo-military uniforms. Now in its eighth year, it is a festival directly inspired by the Mad Max franchise, located on the edge of the Mojave Desert in Southern California. Far removed from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood Boulevard just 115 miles away, but equally illusionary, this is a place where costumes are mandatory, of warring tribes, Thunderdome battles and Mad Max vehicle parades. What started out as a few dozen fans of the films getting together in the desert is now 4,000 enthusiasts from around the world drawn to the promise of chaos and freedom.